10 tools every home baker needs
For a beginner baker, there are plenty of recipes that require nothing more than a mixing bowl and a mixer, but do you really want to get results? Get these tools at home and you’ll only be baking showstoppers from now on.
Stand mixer
It’s an investment, but if you really bake a lot, one of these is a life saver. I still remember when my bright red KitchenAid arrived; I had never been so happy. And I’m still overjoyed every time I whip egg whites effortlessly, beat butter and sugar into a light and airy mixture, or make dumpling dough without having to use my muscles.
Silicone baking mat
Let’s face it, baking paper is incredibly inconvenient. In a convection oven, the corner of the paper always blows over the rest, and then there are those rolls. Annoying. You’re better off simply buying a silicone baking mat: you can quickly wash it and use it again and again. It’s also much better for the environment.
Piping bags
A little less environmentally friendly, but I always keep a roll of piping bags in the kitchen drawer. Ideal for macarons, meringue, pastry cream or whipped cream. If you really want to make artistic cakes, get some pretty piping tips too, but I’ve been doing everything without them for years. Works just fine. Prefer a reusable piping bag? Be my guest, but cleaning those things is a nightmare.
Rubber spatula
One of my favorite kitchen tools: the silicone spatula, also known as a jar scraper. It lets you get every drop of batter or frosting out of the bowl. Get them in different sizes, so you can clean even the smallest bowls. Just make sure the spatula is actually made of silicone and not plastic, so it doesn’t melt if you leave it resting on a pan. I also stir all my savory food with it, by the way; I find it much nicer than a wooden spoon.
Digital kitchen scale
For years I had one of those cute little things with a bowl and an analog dial. It looked nice, but if you really take baking seriously, invest in a digital scale. It lets you measure much more precisely, and precision is pretty important in baking. Especially when you bake bread and have to weigh things like yeast or salt, of which you only need a few grams.
Oven thermometer
How hot is it actually in your oven when you set it to 180 ºC? Only one way to find out: get an oven thermometer. Put it in your oven and see what temperature it shows. It may be completely different from what you expected, so you’ll never have burnt cakes again.
Sieve
For sifting flour and removing lumps, but also for sprinkling a thin layer of powdered sugar over your cake. If you really take it seriously, get a special baking sieve that lets you control the amount of flour very precisely. In all other cases, a standard sieve will do just fine—and you can also use it to drain your pasta.
Cooling rack
You often need to let cakes and cookies cool on a cooling rack. Why? If you do it on a solid surface, the bottom of your bake becomes moist and therefore soggy. A cooling rack is the solution.
Lots and lots of mixing bowls
Large mixing bowls, small mixing bowls, for batter, dough, frosting—everything. Often you need to mix your wet ingredients in one bowl, your dry ingredients in another, and any nuts, chocolate chips or other additions in yet another. Make sure you never run out.
Palette knife
This one is mainly for when you really want to become king or queen of beautiful cakes. With a palette knife, you can spread frosting or cream beautifully over your cake because, after all, presentation matters too.
Bonus: Food processor
Not a must, but if you’re really getting into it, you might as well bring this one out too, right? Another major expense, but considerably cheaper than a stand mixer. A food processor is perfect for making scones or pie dough, where you have to cut the butter into the flour and then add liquid. Your food processor kneads all the ingredients into a ball of dough. Also handy for chopping nuts and other ingredients.
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